Systemic decline in military readiness after years of endless wars
Posted BY: Kit Daniels
The US military’s combat-ready state was rated ‘weak’ by a conservative think tank.
In a report by the Heritage Foundation, the military overall was described as “not being able to meet the demands of defending America’s vital national interests,” with blame placed on “poorly defined priorities” and “wildly shifting security policies.”
“It is rated as weak relative to the force needed to defend national interests on a global stage against actual challenges in the world as it is rather than as we wish it were,” the thinktank said.
In ranking the particular branches, the Heritage Foundation said the Marine Corps was the strongest branch, while the Army was “marginal.”
The Navy and Space Force were “weak” while the Air Force was ranked “very weak.”
“This is the logical consequence of years of sustained use, underfunding, poorly defined priorities, wildly shifting security policies, exceedingly poor discipline in program execution, and a profound lack of seriousness across the national security establishment even as threats to U.S. interests have surged,” the report concluded.
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Earlier this year, the US Army admitted it was having serious issues trying to recruit new soldiers, and the other branches said they weren’t much better.
In fact, 2022 was turning out to be the worse recruitment year for the military since 1973, after the fallout over the Vietnam War.
“With its recent drive to showcase its commitment to so-called woke policy goals, the military may be alienating conservatives—a group that has long been a reliable source for recruits and political support,” Ryan McMaken with the Mises Institute wrote.
